'Knowledge Management in the Sociotechnical World: The Graffiti Continues'

(eds Coakes E, Willis D and Clarke S)

Dec 2001

Springer-Verlag

Knowledge Management has been a major topic for Management academics and practitioners alike in the 1990s. It has been defined as the extraction and conversion of ‘tacit’ knowledge on an individual and organisational level into ‘explicit’ knowledge. This explicit knowledge often takes the form of specific electronic ‘tools’ or ‘assets’ which can be manipulated for competitive gain, for example, intranets, groupware and knowledge repositories.

‘Tacit’ knowledge, on the other hand, is often described as the ‘hunches, intuition and know-how’ of people, or ‘skills, routines competencies’. There is some scepticism towards the extent to which this often highly subjective knowledge and learning can actually be made explicit, and feeling that Knowledge Management is no more than a new form of technology. Knowledge is much more than technology - it is personal, often dormant or unconscious and closely bound up with Learning and Organisation Theory. Learning has been described as the way in which an organisation enhances its knowledge. If so, how is this done and what is the role of IT/IS within this?

 A growing number of studies have called for a more holistic, systemic approach to Knowledge. It is not simply a ‘tool’ or ‘resource’ so much as a social construct. It is a reciprocal, interdependent process of learning arising from knowledge transfer and information flow and communication - a sociotechnical perspective which amalgamates the ‘dualism’ of people and technology and allows the organisation to adapt to the environment.

This book will follow on from the premises and issues raised in The New SocioTech: Graffiti on The Longwall and will provide further valuable information to those whose interest in the subject has been recently stimulated.

Case studies on Knowledge Management including the Royal Navy, Boots, Motorola, and consultancies form part of the text taken from the international experiences of a variety of contributors, both practitioners as well as academics.

Endorsements:

"... a systematic and rigorous analysis of the social, technical, organizational and cultural aspects of knowledge management and organizational learning supported by models and case studies anchored in international business practices. A must-read for anyone interested in the art and science of balancing the soft and hard aspects of knowledge management and organizational learning."

Dr. Yogesh Malhotra, Syracuse University School of Management, U.S.A.  Founder, @Brint.com LLC and Knowledge Management Think Tank, U.S.A.

 "... this international collation is of substantial potential benefit to the legions of companies, consultants and academics trying to get to grips with the complexities and opportunities of knowledge management.  An excellent and timely contribution."

Professor Chris Clegg, Institute of Work Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK

"In this useful and informative book the authors have collected a wide range of material from a variety of authors and the discussions therein should be of great interest to both academics and practitioners."

D. (Rajan) Anketell,  MD, Anketell Management Services Limited, UK

Book of the Month!

Table of contents:

introduction             -            editors  

  1. Coakes E             Knowledge management : a sociotechnical perspective

know-why     -        

  1. Binney D The Knowledge Management Spectrum? The Human Factor Computer Sciences Corporation  Australia
  2. Goldkuhl G and Nilsson E  Organisational Ability – constituents and congruencies Linkopings University Sweden
  3. Scholtz Vicki  Managing knowledge in a ‘knowledge business’  University of Cape Town  South Africa
  4. Yoo Y, Ifvarsson C  Knowledge Dynamics in Organisations Case Western Reserve University  USA

     know-what     -        

  1. Patrick K and Phillips N Personality Type and the Development of Optimal Knowledge Evolution South Bank University UK
  2. Pemberton JD The Importance of Individual Knowledge in Developing the Knowledge-centric Organisation University of Northumbria UK

     know-who     -

  1. Huang JC and Pan SL Customer-based knowledge management : a Sociotechnical  perspective            Warwick Business School UK
  2. Yi JQ  Facilitating Learning and Knowledge Creation in Community-of-Practice: a case Study in a Corporate Learning Environment  Indiana University USA
  3. Ericsson F & Avdic A Information Technology and knowledge acquisition in manufacturing companies University of Orebro   Sweden

 know-how     -        

  1. Farrington JL and Cuthbertson CH Knowledge Management Strategy Formulation: A Case Study Cranfield  UK
  2. Kazi A,Valikangas P, Hannus M and Putonen J            Knowledge creation and management: The case of Fortum Engineering  Technical Research Centre of Finland and Fortum Engineering Ltd    Finland
  3. Al-Karaghouli W  Knowledge Requirements system (KRS): An approach to Improving and Understanding Requirements  Westminster Business School  UK
  4. Coakes E, Sugden G, Camilleti J, Russell S, Bradburn A  Managing tacit knowledge in knowledge intensive firms – is there a role for technology? Westminster Business School  UK

conclusion        -           editors

 

 

ECoakes